We received a hand-mixer, a blender, and a steam iron in lovely harvest gold as wedding presents. Our first crockpot was avocado green, although I'd probably never even seen an avocado in 1977.
[Lincoln had two "real" Mexican restaurants, one near 11th and Q, and the other near 48th and R streets. We had a new Ticos Restaurant on 17th that still exists, Taco John's and a Taco Bell. Grocery stores had six to eight aisles in that primitive time, and fresh produce selections were not the international, exotic and out-of-season extravaganzas we see now. Except for one brief encounter with Romaine and endive in Mrs. Starr's seventh grade Home Ec class, salad lettuce meant iceberg. Looseleaf was that soggy leaf for decoration under your canned pear half and cottage cheese in the hospital cafeteria. Of course my preschoolers still think lettuce is called "salad".]
We also received a Presto Fry Baby, aka Presto Fry Daddy, Jr. They were very hot items that year, but we exchanged it for a Salton yogurt maker. I didn't use the steam iron much because we were dressing in Dacron polyester and Quiana!
We had an electric skillet, of course, a waffle iron, a Presto electric percolator, and a greasy golden popcorn popper that survived the dorm years. I still had my big yellow hair dryer, although my sister was all about blow dryers, steam rollers, and curling irons. I still had the pink electric blanket my great aunt bought me in 1967, and the electric typewriter I got for high school graduation.
My parents had an electric knife, and an electric charcoal starter for the broiler. My uncle liked to send kitchen Christmas gifts, so they had an electric warming tray, a fondue set, a crepe maker, a wok (whatever for!?)
My new in-laws had an electric can opener for the cat food, a Mr. Coffee, grow lights, a Clairol Foot Fixer, an electric pencil sharpener, a Weedeater, an intercom system, and a new-fangled microwave oven. I held out against microwave ovens until 1985, because I was sure they caused cancer in rats.
By 1980 we all had DustBusters. We still got to choose between a toaster, an electric heating pad, and a bathroom scale when we opened a bank account after moving to Omaha. It would be fifteen more years before I owned a hot glue gun. My ex actually bought one of those Wagner Power Painters seen on cable infomercials, and made a huge mess!
In recent years, at my sons' suggestions, I've acquired an electric coffee grinder, a George Foreman grill, and a toaster oven.
So which ones do I actually use?
Once a day
- Microwave oven
- Mr. Coffee
- Toaster oven
Once a week
- Coffee grinder
- Blender
- Electric skillet
- Wok--not electric
Once a month
- Steam iron
- Blow dryer
- Pencil sharpener
- Hot glue gun
- Crockpot
- Hand mixer
Once a year
- Curling iron
How often do I eat an avocado? Once a week!
Microwave history:The First "Radarange"
In 1947, Raytheon demonstrated the world's first microwave oven and called it a "Radarange," the winning name in an employee contest. Housed in refrigerator-sized cabinets, the first microwave ovens cost between $2,000 and $3,000. Sometime between 1952-55, Tappan introduced the first home model priced at $1295. In 1965 Raytheon acquired Amana Refrigeration. Two years later, the first countertop, domestic oven was introduced. It was a 100-volt microwave oven, which cost just under $500 and was smaller, safer and more reliable than previous models.
By 1975 Sales of Microwave Ovens Exceeded that of Gas Ranges
Technological advances and further developments led to a microwave oven that was polished and priced for the consumer kitchen. However, there were many myths and fears surrounding these mysterious new electronic "radar ranges." By the seventies, more and more people were finding the benefits of microwave cooking to outweigh the possible risks, and none of them were dying of radiation poisoning, going blind, sterile, or becoming impotent (at least not from using microwave ovens). As fears faded, a swelling wave of acceptance began filtering into the kitchens of America and other countries. Myths were melting away, and doubt was turning into demand.
By 1975, sales of microwave ovens would, for the first time, exceed that of gas ranges. The following year, a reported 17% of all homes in Japan were doing their cooking by microwaves, compared with 4% of the homes in the United States the same year. Before long, though, microwave ovens were adorning the kitchens in over nine million homes, or about 14%, of all the homes in the United States. In 1976, the microwave oven became a more commonly owned kitchen appliance than the dishwasher, reaching nearly 60%, or about 52 million U.S. households. America's cooking habits were being drastically changed by the time and energy-saving convenience of the microwave oven. Once considered a luxury, the microwave oven had developed into a practical necessity for a fast-paced world.
An expanding market has produced a style to suit every taste; a size, shape, and color to fit any kitchen, and a price to please almost every pocketbook. Options and features, such as the addition of convection heat, probe and sensor cooking, meet the needs of virtually every cooking, heating or drying application. Today, the magic of microwave cooking has radiated around the globe, becoming an international phenomenon.
© 2007 Nancy L. Ruder
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